Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit has broken a seven-week silence in a national television interview, expressing deep regret over her past associations with the late American sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The extent of her contacts with Epstein, including hundreds of email exchanges between 2011 and 2014 and a stay at his Florida home, emerged publicly in late January when millions of Epstein files were released by the US justice department. In the 20-minute interview, Mette-Marit was often on the verge of tears, stating she felt "manipulated" and deceived.
"It is incredibly important for me to take responsibility for not checking his background more carefully," the crown princess said. She had already apologized and admitted to "poor judgment" after the close nature of her links to Epstein came to light. "Of course I wish I had never met him," Mette-Marit told public broadcaster NRK, emphasizing that justice was deserved by Epstein's victims, whom she said she felt great anger for not yet receiving it.
The decision to speak publicly followed intense scrutiny and pressure, including from Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. During the conversation, Mette-Marit gave little away, with some responses coming across as defensive. In 2011, three years after Epstein was jailed for soliciting underage sex, she wrote to him: "Googled u after last email. Agree didn't look too good." Sitting alongside her husband, Crown Prince Haakon, she maintained she "didn't know he was a sex offender or a predator," despite the reporter pointing out that a Wikipedia article on Epstein at the time clearly stated he was a convicted abuser.
Asked why she spent several days at Epstein's Palm Beach home in 2013, she explained it was due to an unnamed mutual acquaintance: "Epstein was a close friend of a good friend of mine." She spoke of a "situation" that made her feel uneasy on the last day of her stay but refused to elaborate, only saying she phoned her husband about it. Crown Prince Haakon recalled the call well and how it made his wife feel "unsafe." Despite this incident, Mette-Marit maintained contact with Epstein for some time afterward, citing her tendency to be "overly trusting."
Royal correspondent Tove Taalesen of Nettavisen noted that the interview raised more questions than it answered: "Something must have happened and she didn't want to tell us that." Historian and TV2 royal correspondent Ole-Jørgen Schulsrud-Hansen criticized the princess for prioritizing her privacy over the royal institution, stating it revealed a "perception of their role that is not compatible with the institution" and warning that without change, similar issues could recur.
Mette-Marit was also questioned about her motivation to remain in her royal role. The 52-year-old crown princess, who suffers from pulmonary fibrosis, made clear that her ability to continue depends entirely on her health. The interview was limited to 20 minutes due to her condition, and commentators noted it was not always easy to hear her due to her breathing. "I live with a serious illness," she said. "That is the very thing that decides whether in fact I can continue to perform in the role I hold, or not." Her husband emphasized their unity, calling it "our project," a term that surprised analysts for its impersonal connotation in a royal context.
Source: www.bbc.com